List of Coronation Street characters (1964)

Coronation Street characters
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964
1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
1970 1971 1972 1973 1974
1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
2010 2011

Coronation Street is a British soap opera, initially produced by Granada Television. Created by writer Tony Warren, Coronation Street first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters introduced in the show's fifth year, by order of first appearance.

In what remains one of the serial's most dramatic and influential years to date, 1964 saw no less than four producers take the helm of the show. Apart from a short month-long break in which original producer Stuart Latham took over for one last stint, Margaret Morris presided over Coronation Street until May, in which she introduced Irma Ogden (Sandra Gough) in late January. Radical young producer Tim Aspinall took the reins in May and quickly made his mark by writing out several characters including Frank Barlow, Harry and Concepta Hewitt, Jerry and Myra Booth and most controversially, Martha Longhurst, a favourite with viewers who Aspinall chose to kill off in his very first episode. A week later, Aspinall introduced a new regular in the form of Charlie Moffitt (Gordon Rollings).

In June, Aspinall chose to give newcomer Irma Ogden a family, and cast Bernard Youens and Jean Alexander in the roles of Irma's parents Stan and Hilda. The couple proved popular and remained with the series for over twenty years. Today, Hilda Ogden is widely regarded as the greatest and most iconic character in Coronation Street's long, illustrious history.[1] After a short, turbulent stint, Aspinall departed the show in September and H.V. Kershaw returned to the role. Kershaw introduced Sandra Petty (Heather Moore) in October, originally in a guest role. Barbara Mullaney also made her first appearance as Rita Littlewood for a single episode in December, eight years before returning as a regular cast member.

Contents


Irma Barlow

Irma Barlow
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Sandra Gough
Duration 1964–68, 1969, 1970–71
First appearance 27 January 1964
Episode 326
Last appearance 8 December 1971
Episode 1137
Profile
Alias Freda
Date of birth 28 September 1946
Home Canada

Irma Barlow (née Freda Ogden) was played by Sandra Gough between 1964 and 1971. Having previously changed her name from Freda, Irma came to Weatherfield with the sole purpose to escape her family, with whom she did not get on. Just months after her arrival however, the rest of the Ogden family, Irma's mother Hilda, father Stan and brother Trevor, followed her and moved into number thirteen Coronation Street.

Irma struck up a relationship with local footballer David Barlow in 1965 and the pair get married in December that year. Following David's decision to cut short his footballing career after several setbacks, David and Irma went into business together, and bought the Corner Shop when it went up for sale in 1966. Settled in their new life, Irma and David try for a baby in 1967 but after a brief four-month pregnancy, Irma suffers a miscarriage. Broken hearted, she resigned herself to the fact she would never have children. Irma eventually grew tired of being a postmistress, and David eventually relaunched his football career. After David is signed to an Australian team, the Barlows moved to Australia in April 1968. Whilst there, Irma discovered she was pregnant again and gave birth to a son, Darren Barlow, in November 1968.

In 1970 the producers of Coronation Street decided to reintroduce the Barlows, but Alan Rothwell, the actor who played David, turned down the opportunity to return as he had found work elsewhere. Still keen to bring back Irma, the producers decided that instead of splitting the popular couple up, David and two-year-old Darren were to be killed in a car crash offscreen. Upon arriving back on the Street, Irma was rehired at the Corner Shop by the new owner Maggie Clegg and shared the flat above, her former home, with barmaid Bet Lynch. Irma had a brief fling with Ray Langton in 1971, before making a swift exit later in the year when Gough was abruptly sacked. Irma moved to Llandudno is North Wales, and was believed to still be living there at the time of her parent's ruby wedding anniversary in 1983. She then emigrated to Canada and did not return for her father Stan's funeral in November 1984, much to the disappointment of her brother Trevor.

Eddie Thomas

Eddie Thomas
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Douglas Austin
Created by Stuart Latham
Introduced by Tony Warren
Duration 1964
First appearance 17 February 1964
Last appearance 11 May 1964
Classification Former; regular

Eddie Thomas was the young apprentice of Len Fairclough at the builder's yard. He dated 16 year-old Lucille Hewitt, but the teen romance did not last. Eddie also briefly dated Joyce Lennox. When a mistake by Len leads to elderly resident Minnie Caldwell falling through the banister on the stairs at the Viaduct, Minnie is persuaded to take action and sue Len. To pay compensation to Minnie, he is forced to make both Eddie and Jerry Booth redundant. Both men left Weatherfield soon after in search of work although Jerry later returned.

Ted Ashley

Ted Ashley
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Jerold Wells
Created by Stuart Latham
Introduced by Adele Rose
Duration 1964
First appearance 9 March 1964
Last appearance 18 March 1964
Classification Former; guest

Ted Ashley returned to his native Weatherfield after fifty years spent living in Australia. Martha Longhurst remembered her first love, and threw herself at him, only for Ted to turn her down. In truth, Ted had always loved Ena Sharples, but Ena wasn't interested. She stepped aside once again when she heard her friend Martha was hoping to marry him. Two months after Ted left, Martha died after suffering a heart attack.

Gus Lowman

Gus Lowman
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Alister Williamson
Created by Margaret Morris
Introduced by Jack Rosenthal
Duration 1964
First appearance 25 March 1964
Last appearance 17 June 1964
Classification Former; recurring

Gus Lowman was introduced as the new manager of the Viaduct Sporting Club. On opening night, the ceiling collapsed and Len was blamed for shoddy workmanship, with Gus refusing to pay Len for his work. As it turned out, the collapse had been Gus' fault as he'd placed too much weight on the ceiling by using the upstairs as a liquor store, and Len was eventually paid.

Rosemary Fraser

Rosemary Fraser
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Clare Owen
Created by Margaret Morris
Introduced by John Finch
Duration 1964
First appearance 1 April 1964
Last appearance 8 April 1964
Classification Former; guest

Rosemary Fraser was the wife of Laurie Fraser. Laurie had been seeing Elsie Tanner behind Rosemary's back, and he brazenly employed Elsie at the club where his wife was a regular customer. Elsie found out his betrayal and finished the relationship.

Stuart Hodges

Stuart Hodges
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Vernon Joyner
Created by Margaret Morris
Introduced by Peter Eckersley
Duration 1964, 1965
First appearance 15 April 1964
Last appearance 20 January 1965
Classification Former; recurring

Stuart Hodges took over the role of preacher at The Glad Tidings Mission Hall when Leonard Swindley was forced to take a rest after having a minor breakdown. Emily Nugent, a regular at the Mission, fell for Hodges as did most of the women. Even Ena Sharples took a liking to him when he helped her out with her cleaning job. Hodges left the Street to allow Swindley to take his job back, but returned months later with the news that the Mission was to merge with another in Weatherfield.

Lily Haddon

Lily Haddon
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Stephanie Bidmead
Created by Tim Aspinall
Introduced by Peter Eckersley
Duration 1964
First appearance 18 May 1964
Last appearance 20 May 1964
Classification Former; guest

Lily Haddon (nee Longhurst) was the daughter of Rovers cleaner Martha Longhurst. Martha mentioned her frequently during her time on the show, and her absence became something of a running joke. Lily and her husband Wilf finally made their first and last appearances at Martha's funeral.

Charlie Moffitt

Charlie Moffitt
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Gordon Rollings
Created by Tim Aspinall
Introduced by John Finch
Duration 1964-65
First appearance 20 May 1964
Last appearance 15 December 1965
Classification Former; regular

Charlie Moffitt moved into number 5 with dog Little Titch and his pigeons to lodge with Minnie Caldwell following the departure of Tickler Murphy. Charlie fancied himself as a comedian, and worked as so at the Viaduct Sporting Club. Charlie made enemies of the female residents when he organised a night of exotic dancers at the club, causing a lot of consternation for the men who visited. One of the exotic dancers had been a red-haired young lady called Rita Littlewood, who Dennis Tanner took home, though his hopes were dashed when she took to Elsie's bed instead.

The next year, Charlie quit showbusiness and borrowed £50 from Ena Sharples to invest in insurance. However, when he lost half of the money, he left the area fearing the sack. The lost money was in fact in the hands of Hilda Ogden, who'd found it and had spent it. When she learnt that the money was Charlie's she returned the goods she'd bought and set about on returning the money. About a month later Charlie was eventually tracked down to a working men's club, and was persuaded to return home. He left the Street once again at the end of the year for a season in pantomime and never returned.

Pip Mistral

Pip Mistral
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Elaine Stevens
Created by Tim Aspinall
Introduced by Peter Eckersley
Duration 1964
First appearance 1 June 1964
Last appearance 3 June 1964
Classification Former; guest

Pip Mistral was an exotic dancer who meets Charlie Moffitt and asks him to a party. Charlie invited his friends by her request, so Ken Barlow, Harry Hewitt and Len Fairclough join them. To Ken's surprise, he soon finds himself immersed in conversation with Pip and they talk all night. Ken tells Pip she is wasted as a dancer, and that he would like to see her again, but Pip senses what he is alluding to and rejects his advances. Ken's wife Valerie finds out the next day, and is deeply hurt that he connected with someone on such a deep level. She claimed she'd rather he'd have kissed her.

Stan Ogden

Main article: Stan Ogden

Hilda Ogden

Main article: Hilda Ogden

Trevor Ogden

Trevor Ogden
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Jonathan Collins (1964)
Don Hawkins (1973, 1975, 1983-1984)
Created by Tim Aspinall
Introduced by Tony Warren
Duration 1964, 1973, 1975, 1983-84
First appearance 6 July 1964
Last appearance 28 November 1984
Classification Former; regular

Trevor Ogden was the son of Stan and Hilda Ogden. He arrived with his family in 1964, but when the Street residents took cover in the Mission hall basement during a bomb scare, 14 year-old Trevor took his opportunity to raid the houses and left for London with the stolen goods. Nine years on, in 1973, after not hearing from their son since that night, Stan and Hilda tracked Trevor down in Chesterfield where he was living with a wife and son. Trevor was horrified to see them, as he had told his wife Polly that his parents had died in a car crash. The family patched up their differences, and the Ogdens headed back home. Trevor made three more visits to Weatherfield, making his last appearance in November 1984 when he attended his father Stan's funeral, expressing his disappointment that his sister Irma (by then living in Australia) had not made the effort to attend. After making sure his mother was OK, Trevor got in his car and drove home.

David Graham

David Graham
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Roger Adamson
Created by Tim Aspinall
Introduced by John Pennington
Duration 1964
First appearance 3 August 1964
Last appearance 26 August 1964
Classification Former; guest

David Graham was an art teacher at a School of Design where Elsie Tanner took an evening job as a life model. David became infatuated with Elsie, but the affair was brief when his intensity proved too much for Elsie. When she attempted to end their relationship, David produced a gun and threatened to kill her. Before he could do anything, however, Elsie's son Dennis arrived and stopped him and Elsie resigned from her job.

Tickler Murphy

Tickler Murphy
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Patrick McAlinney
Created by Tim Aspinall
Introduced by Tony Williamson
Duration 1964
First appearance 14 September 1964
Last appearance 7 October 1964
Classification Former; guest

"Tickler" Murphy was a man who Minnie Caldwell took in as lodger. Irish Tickler swept shopkeeper Florrie Lindley off her feet, and the pair enjoyed a short romance until Florrie began speaking of marriage and the future. Tickler ended the relationship, and fled the country, leaving Florrie alone once again.

Sandra Petty

Sandra Petty
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Heather Moore
Created by H.V. Kershaw
Introduced by John Finch (1964)
Jack Rosenthal (1965)
Duration 1964, 1965
First appearance 26 October 1964
Last appearance 1 December 1965
Classification Former; regular

Sandra Petty was the daughter of shopkeeper Lionel Petty, who she followed to Weatherfield when he bought the Corner Shop. Soon after her arrival, Emily Nugent gave her a job at Gamma Garments and she met Dennis Tanner. Sandra and Dennis began a relationship which lasted for months until Sandra grew annoyed by the way in which Dennis treated her like a sister rather than a girlfriend. She split up with him, resigned from her job, moved into a new flat and left the Street.

Sgt. Bowden

Sgt. Bowden
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by James Beck
Created by H.V. Kershaw
Introduced by Harry Driver and Vince Powell
Duration 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967
First appearance 9 November 1964
Last appearance 28 August 1967
Classification Former; recurring

Sgt Bowden, played by future Dad's Army actor James Beck, was the local police officer in Weatherfield between 1964 and 1967. In all, he made 8 appearances on the programme. His last appearance came when he caught Steve Tanner, Len Fairclough and Albert Tatlock gambling, but rather than take action, he joined in the game.

Alf Chadwick

Alf Chadwick
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Eddie King
Created by H.V. Kershaw
Introduced by Harry Driver and Vince Powell
Duration 1964, 1965, 1968
First appearance 9 November 1964
Last appearance 23 December 1968
Classification Former; recurring

Alf Chadwick was employed to play piano in the Rovers when the Walkers got a new license. Alf appeared infrequently for the next year and played piano for the Coronation Street pantomimes in both 1964 and 1968, when regular pianist Ena Sharples was otherwise engaged.

William Piggott

William Piggott
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by George A. Cooper
Created by H.V. Kershaw
Introduced by Tony Warren
Duration 1964, 1965, 1970, 1971
First appearance 9 December 1964
Last appearance 3 November 1971
Classification Former; recurring

William Piggott was the father of a pupil at the Weatherfield high school where Ken Barlow had recently took a job. In a bribe, William offered Ken £100 to ensure his son passed an exam. Ken considered the opportunity, needing the money, but his morals were too strong and he publicly returned the money to William and called the police. Valerie stated afterwards that it was a shame he did so, the money would have been helpful as she was pregnant with twins.

Rita Sullivan

Main article: Rita Sullivan

Others

Character Date(s) Episode(s) Actor Circumstances
Jennifer Knott 13–15 January 322–323 Sarah Aimson Member of the Brett Falcon fan club, of which Lucille Hewitt is President. Jennifer makes Lucille furious by posing for a photograph as the President of the fan club which goes in the Weatherfield Gazette. Together the girls also make an enemy of Ena Sharples when they scrawl "I love Brett" on the vestry.
Cheryl 13 January 322 Jackie Lenya A group of Brett Falcon fans who gather outside number eleven.
First fan Heather Spratt
Second fan Valerie Duffey
Norma Shirley Stelfox
Tony Leonard 27 January 326 David Glover
Joyce Lennox 27 January – 18 March 326–341 Yvonne Walsh Machinist at Elliston's Raincoat Factory who briefly dates Len Fairclough. Len's friends believe that Joyce, who is much younger, is only after his money. Soon enough however Joyce becomes disinterested and stands him up to go out with Eddie Thomas instead. She later leaves Coronation Street to work at Laurie Fraser's club.
Mavis 27 January
23 March		 326; 342 Frances Brozel

References

  1. ^ Youngs, Ian (9 December 2010). "Coronation Street legend on playing Hilda Ogden". BBC Online. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11942041. Retrieved 11 February 2011.